REDCAN is the UK's alliance of regional eating disorder charities

You might wonder what the differences are between these three terms.

All describe psychological difficulties with food or eating that can stop people from enjoying their lives and being able to participate in everyday activities. Eating disorders can have serious mental and physical health consequences. Yet recovery is common and possible with the right support.

NHS specialist teams may diagnose someone with an eating disorder, using clinical mental and physical health criteria to do so. However, some people will never be diagnosed formally. For example, people may never get access to services or the criteria doesn't capture their experiences.

Eating distress describes a person's personal experience of emotional and psychological suffering related to food and eating.

Some use 'disordered eating' to describe behaviour that suggests someone has psychological difficulties linked to eating, but that would not be classified by the NHS as an eating disorder.

All three cover one or more of the following: persistent or intrusive thoughts about food or weight; having rules about food that make it hard to eat, whether in company or alone; not eating enough food to thrive; regular episodes of not being able to stop eating; being sick, using laxatives or other medicine to get rid of food or keep weight down; compulsive exercise; urges to body check.

Some eating distress and eating disorders are linked to sensory experiences of food or fear of being sick, while others are focused on ideas around weight, health and body image. Some overlap. Many people feel shame due to stigma and misinformation, but eating disorders and eating distress are never your fault.

Really common.

3.5 million people in the UK may have eating disorders, statisticians working with charity BEAT found this year (2026). That would be one in every 20 people, or about five percent of the UK population. 

Other data suggests binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder, followed by OSFED and bulimia. Anorexia affects fewer than one in ten people with eating disorders, while much more research is needed on ARFID.

Eating distress and disorders most often develop during adolescence, but can occur at any age. Girls and women are most commonly affected, but around one in five are boys or men. More research is needed to better understand the experiences of some groups, including people on lower incomes, people from minoritised ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people, disabled and neurodivergent people, women experiencing perimenopause and menopause, older adults, and migrants.

Eating disorders develop for many reasons and are often influenced by a combination of genetic, psychological, social, and environmental factors. Eating distress and eating disorders may emerge during periods of change and transition, challenging circumstances, or after trauma. Diet culture, appearance pressures, discrimination, and inequalities can all contribute. Not having enough food, or binging and/or purging food, may in turn affect brain chemistry, and produce or reinforce disordered thoughts and behaviour. Growing evidence suggests links between neurodivergence and eating disorders. 

You can find out more here about types of eating disorders in this useful guide from our Beat colleagues. However, REDCAN agencies usually do not diagnose eating disorders - except in very specific circumstances for particular conditions. Charities provide specialist support for children, young people and adults at an early stage, aiming for them to recover quickly and avoid NHS treatment. Charities may also work with people if further support is needed in their recovery journey on leaving NHS care. 

 

 

REDCAN agencies provide specialist support for children, young people and adults tailored to needs and circumstances. Support includes talking therapies, peer and family support, guided resources, and nutritional advice. Support needs can change over time, and are influenced by physical and mental health, disability, neurodivergence, relationships, work, education, culture, and wider social circumstances. 

Clinical care and treatment is provided by the NHS: for example, when GPs do baseline health checks; or when NHS eating disorder services diagnose that someone has developed an eating disorder and needs medical intervention and treatment. 

If people do become very unwell, REDCAN agencies refer them to their local NHS community eating disorder teams, with whom they work closely. NHS teams follow NICE guidelines on recommended treatment.

 

Eating disorders are on the rise across the UK. Demand for support has gone up, services are under pressure, and people without a formal diagnosis or facing disadvantage often struggle to get help. Early intervention is vital. Unfortunately, too many people get treatment only when they have become really ill, and it is harder to treat eating disorders the longer they go on.

Eating disorders have the highest death rates out of all mental illness. This can change. We need better eating disorder support, early on.

Access to early support varies widely across the country, with many areas lacking affordable community-based services. In the regions where we work, REDCAN agencies provide prevention, early intervention, and recovery support, but often face insecure funding despite our proven impact.

Many groups — including people from ethnic minority communities, LGBTQ+ people, disabled and neurodivergent people, older adults, and those on lower incomes — remain underserved. Greater awareness, sustainable funding, and stronger research are needed to ensure everyone can access timely eating disorder support.

Australia’s national eating disorder strategy takes a joined-up approach to prevention and treatment, recognising that eating disorders are "everyone’s business". The UK could take a similar approach.